islandwoman

Wow! That's a lot of cancelled cruises. If I stopped to add up all of my cancelled travel (including, but not just cruises), since the pandemic started, it might come to that much too. But I'm not going to do it because it would be depressing. I hope that you have a great time on your upcoming cruises.

Then again, if you click on the audio button at the Aquavit Terrace in the deck plan (at the link I posted one page back), the narrator clearly says "breakfast, lunch, or dinner". I want to believe that, but since you've actually been on that ship, I'll have to go with your information. 🙁

It looks like outdoor seating to me too.

I am looking at the deck plan of the Viking Lif https://www.vikingrivercruises.com/content/360/start.html?secure=true&cid=SEM|GGL|999|c_245131490_aud-1705108040330:kwd-49285397355_562252990055&utm_id=sem:VRC-US-GGL-Brand-NC-Longships-Exact&utm_content=VRC-US-GGL-Brand-NC-Longships-Exact&gclid=CjwKCAjw3K2XBhAzEiwAmmgrArwr016b24GQ94_0yPq6-l6Fa4HdIgHnzxFkjryz2K1RtYCoV13FORoCK5UQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds and it appears that the Aquavit Terrace is surrounded by glass enclosures, but that the top and upper sides are open.

We've already returned from our cruise. We went to Chankanaab Park and just went snorkeling. But I will keep your information for the next time. Thank you. Have a great time next month!

We don't eat at any restaurants that have only indoor seating. We sometimes eat in outdoor dining venues, so long as they're not crowded. Otherwise we get carry-out or cook at home.

Probably. I will be eligible for another booster at the end of August. (I was late getting started because I was participating in a trial) I plan to wait until September so that I can get the new one. I hope it's highly effective against whatever is out there at that time.

Will Viking transfer the deposit to a different cruise at this late date?

Do they serve on the deck, or are you suggesting that we should carry our food back to our cabin? Did Viking return your deposit for the cruise you cancelled?

How good is the medical treatment in Eastern Europe?

When death is the price of a cruise, then the price is too high. Risks can be reduced. I'm looking for the middle ground between not cruising and taking too much risk.

Now we know how to sail on an ocean cruise without catching COVID. But how do we handle a river cruise? I just discovered that the Viking River Cruise that I'm booked on in October doesn't offer room service. Any ideas?

cooncat_mom, I'm sorry to hear that you caught COVID. I hope that you are fully recovered.

We booked before COVID, then cancelled until we finally landed on this one. Who knew that COVID would last this long and that it would become even more contagious? Who knew that the vaccines would be less effective against the new variants? Who knew that Viking would discontinue testing?

DH and I are booked on the Lif, our first Viking River Cruise, in October. We are both in our mid-seventies and would not like to catch COVID. We never eat in indoor restaurants because it is impossible to wear a mask while eating, but I have just read that Viking does not offer room service. Is there anywhere we can eat on the ship where we would not be exposed to other unmasked passengers who might be contagious? Outdoors? Less crowded dining areas? Carry-out? A table for two away from other diners? We do enjoy dining with other passengers, but until the pandemic subsides, that is not a good idea for us.

Which airline?

No.

The cruise was very different than those we've done in the past because we didn't socialize with other passengers. But it was still very enjoyable. DH and I are fully vaccinated and boosted. We wore KN-95 masks in all public indoor places, except the main dining room where we sat at a table for 2 in a location away from other tables. Other meals we ate at the sunset bar (outside seating) or room service on our deck. No, I did not hear of anyone coming down with COVID, but I don't think I would have even if there were. Enjoy your cruise.

So where do I get the "red permanent luggage tag holders" ?

My cruise is Budapest to Bucharest. It is scheduled after our Island Princess cruise out of Southampton.(Flying from Heathrow to Prague, then train to Budapest on our own) I am looking for luggage tag holders that would fit the Viking paper tags. Something like these:

I am preparing for my first Viking River Cruise. It will be a B2B with an ocean cruise on another line, so I need luggage tag holders that will protect my Viking luggage tags from ripping while traveling between ports. I have two sizes of these holders, one of which fits Princess/Carnival luggage tags and the other fits Royal Caribbean/Azamara/Celebrity. But I don't know whether either of these, or something else would fit the luggage tags issued by Viking River Cruises and I haven't been able to find anything online. Can someone who has been on a Viking River Cruise please advise me what to buy?

Last week, I took my first cruise since 2019. We were required to show proof of being vaccinated and boosted. No masks were required, but the crew was always masked when dealing with passengers. We were also required to present proof of a negative COVID test for boarding the ship at the embarkation port, but not for entering any of the other ports.

We avoided socializing with other passengers 🙁, none of whom were wearing masks. We wore KN-95 masks in all public areas. When we could not wear a mask: We got many of our meals at the Oceanview Cafe and ate them at the Sunset Bar (outside). Sometimes we ordered room service and ate on our deck. A few times we ate in the main dining room at a table for two, away from other diners. It was very considerate of the crew to be wearing masks. The only difficulty we had with following our self-imposed COVID protocols, was on the Celebrity shore excursion river cruise in Belize. We were jammed into a small boat with so many other passengers that it was impossible to practice anything approaching social distancing. We were sat shoulder to shoulder and thigh to thigh.(ick!) I guess that being outside and our wearing a mask helped. We chose outdoor activities in all of the ports: The Conch Train in Key West; Chankanaab Park in Cozumel, Paradise Beach in Bimini. Warm weather cruises are definitely the way to go for those of us who are at high risk for COVID.

Contact the activity vendor and tell them which ship you'll be arriving on and the scheduled arrival time. If they cater to cruise ship passengers, they will know how long you'll need to get off the ship and to the starting point. While you're at it, find out if they'll refund your payment if the ship is late or if the port call is cancelled.

DH and I are back from our cruise. We didn't catch COVID 😊